Editor’s note: Today marks the first day we revisit The Joenandez Files. For those that don’t know, Joenandez joined the Lax All Stars team last year (he’s still around, just focusing on organizing our summer team), and his articles focused on digging beneath the surface of the sport and uncovering ways to help it grow. Below is his very first post. To this day, it still fires us up whenever we read it – the LAS manifesto, if you will.

Why Passion Isn’t Enough.

Lacrosse has no shortage of passionate people. Players, their parents, coaches, referees, league administrators, athletic directors, club presidents, etc, etc. They all sacrifice their time and their finances to support and grow the sport. Much of the significant growth we’ve seen in the Lacrosse Community is due to the hard work and dedication of former players and parents of players. Thanks to them, Lacrosse is getting more and more mainstream media attention. Look no further than Nike/Adidas/Reebok’s entry into the equipment world to see that lacrosse is growing. We’ve grown despite the fact that the sacrifice of passionate people has not translated into the dollar signs that fuel REAL growth.

We’ve yet to reach the tipping point. You know, the day that we see lacrosse on TNT or as a regular segment of Sportscenter. Where the MLL is broadcast on NBC on the weekends and the stadiums for regular season games are PACKED (leaving out the Denver Outlaws).

Could it be because passion is simply not enough to grow this game? What we need is a disruptive innovation that brings fans closer to the game in a unique way. More fans = more money. More money = more talent. More talent = more sponsors, etc, etc. Passion doesn’t necessarily lead to innovation, but innovation can lead to more passion.

Sex Appeal, We’ve Got It!

I don’t think there is any doubt that the sport itself would be successful in the mainstream. No sport is faster paced. No sport has the mix of big hits, highlight reel action, storylines, strategy and sex-appeal. Yes, sex appeal. I don’t know about you, but i think we lax players have some of the sexiest looking gear of all major sports. Similarly, and at the risk of sounding like an Us Weekly article, we have some major heartthrobs. Basketball players? Too tall. Baseball Players? Too juiced. Football players? Too big. Hockey players. OMG. Don’t get me started. Our athletes are lean, built and incredibly handsome if I do say so myself.

But why, might I ask, is lacrosse still consider a “niche” sport? Why do I get blank stares when I tell people I play lacrosse? The signs of growth are there; it’s market-able, big brands are coming on board, but has lacrosse reached the tipping point? I don’t think so. Ironically, for this country’s oldest sport, Lacrosse is still very young. What we need is a disruptive innovation to send us on an exponential rise towards popularity.

The Rabbit Hole

But this innovation isn’t going to come on the lacrosse field. Like I said, we’ve got the sexy gear. Offset/pinched heads, titanium shafts and Cascade helmets changed the game, and they are already established. I don’t think this inevitable disruptive innovation will be for the players. It won’t be for coaches, referees, league administrators and that is what makes it disruptive. This innovation will create and cater to a new market of “consumers”.

It will be for the fans. Lacrosse is unique in that the majority of fans are former players or friends/family of players. Most other sports have different sources of fans. We don’t.

How will this innovation in fan-dom come to be? It’s going to come from an entrepreneur who recognizes that there is an absolute treasure trove of unmet needs, pain points and frustrations that Lacrosse fans must deal with. As a former player and now casual fan of lacrosse, I can tell you that my interest in staying up to date with NCAA and MCLA is far out-weighed by the amount of work I have to put into keeping up with it.

Look no further than the MCLA forums for the proof. Hundreds of people stalk the Live Game Updates forum refreshing and refreshing the page to get the latest updates from some forum-jockey who is getting score by score updates from a friend two states away at the game. WHAT??? Why is this happening?

Fans Don’t Know What They Can’t Tell You

In my day-job I’m a Product Development Researcher for a wireless company. It’s my job to uncover the unmet needs and pain points of our wireless customers so that Prod Dev can create compelling solutions. I get giddy just thinking about the universe of unmet needs as large and deep as the one I see among lacrosse fans.

Unfortunately, the unmet needs/pain-points persist, and so many potential lacrosse fans slowly fall away from the sport while the pain-points outweigh the benefits of keeping up-to-date. What this creates is a community of HARDCORE lacrosse fans, and nothing more. Because for the most passionate of fans, the benefit of keeping up to date with the sport far outweighs the amount of difficulty they go through to do so.

This innovation will come to serve a new market of “consumers”. Those people like me, former players, casual lacrosse fans. We need to make it easier to be a fan, stay a fan. It needs to be easier to get and remain engaged with a community of other casual lacrosse fans. The engagement is key, and this is where many a Casual Lacrosse fan falls off the boat. There are a series of trade-offs that are made, and my many other interests outweigh my interest in remaining engaged with ALL the lacrosse websites/news sources online.

Whatever this solution is, it has to be simple, it has to be accessible, it has to be social and I really believe it will be unbelievably successful.

For all you entrepreneurs, investors, developers and social web enthusiasts out there, start thinking of solutions. Unmet needs don’t stay unmet for long.

Our pal Joenandez hooked us up with this little mixtape of all his favorite songs from 2009. A lot of the stuff is fresh – good beats and a positive feel. Thought y’all would enjoy it.

We’ll have another 2009 music post with submissions from readers later this week.
Got something we should include? Drop it in the comments section!

Track list:

1. “Designer Skyline” Owl City

2. “Imma Be Black” Eyed Peas

3. “Even Now” Dashboard Confessional

4. “That Girl’s A Trick” This Providence

5. “Replay” Iyaz

6. “All I Wanted” Paramore

7. “Squeaky Wheels And White Lights” This Providence

8. “Empire State Of Mind” Jay-z

9. “(If Your Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To” Weezer

10. “Fuzzy Blue Lights” Owl City

11. “All We” Worth Dying For

12. “Summer of ’98” The Secret Handshake

13. “Somebody To Talk To” This Providence

14. “The Only Exception” Paramore

15. “Until Morning” Dashboard Confessional

16. “Fireflies” Owl City

17. “Whatcha Say” Jason Derulo

18. “Sweetest Girl” Wyclef Jean

19. “Hello Seattle (Remix)” Owl City

_________________________________________________________________________________
Got a question or other music tips? Want your team covered?
Drop us a line at info@lacrosseallstars.com.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/joenandezs-2009-mixtape/feed/0Dose of Realism – Will Lacrosse EVER Become Mainstream?http://laxallstars.com/dose-of-realism-will-lacrosse-ever-become-mainstream/
http://laxallstars.com/dose-of-realism-will-lacrosse-ever-become-mainstream/#commentsTue, 16 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/dose-of-realism-will-lacrosse-ever-become-mainstream/I attended my first Major League Soccer game this past weekend. From the moment I stepped into the stadium, I couldn't help but dream that I was walking into Qwest field to watch Seattle's pro Lacrosse team play an intense Saturday night game.
]]>I attended my first Major League Soccer game this past weekend. From the moment I stepped into the stadium, I couldn’t help but dream that I was walking into Qwest field to watch Seattle’s pro Lacrosse team play an intense Saturday night game.

The lower bowl was PACKED to the brim with soccer fans… chanting, screaming, jumping up and down, waving their Sounders scarves and wildly anticipating the start of the game.

As we grabbed seats in the Sounders General Admission section behind 1000 drum beating, flag waving, green clad soccer nuts I blurred my vision a little. I saw flags attached to lacrosse sticks, teams running 4v3 drills on the field for warm-up, players getting amped up to perform on a national stage. On my way home I started feeling a little depressed. Would this deep desire of my lacrosse crazed heart ever be realized? Can the game of Lacrosse as we know it today pack a stadium filled with fanatical fans? Can Lacrosse truly BE a mainstream spectator sport?

Fastest Growing Game in America

According to this 2008 article (which I Google’d) there are a 4 main factors to the growth of lacrosse..

Increased visibility in the National Media. (Joenandez’s take- ESPN and a handful of “sports package” channels??? I don’t quite know about this one)

Development of a Professional League (J- That dropped its two most important “growth” franchises last year)

Growth of new High School and College Programs (J-True)

Growth of Youth Programs. (J-True)

I don’t want to poke too many holes in this theory because being the fastest growing sport is certainly a good thing…BUT how fast does it NEED to grow to become mainstream? Are we on path for an NBC broadcast contract in 2045? Is that acceptable? When the economy starts turning back around, do we get the San Francisco and LA MLL franchises back? Should we all be content with steady, fast growth? I for one, am not. I daydream of what it will take to hit that tipping point where Lacrosse is an overnight success, where the growth goes from steady to exponential. I also believe it will start with a Groundswell… we just have to enable it.

Breathing Easy

Unfortunately, I’ve made the official decision not to hold my breath. At current growth rates, it just doesn’t seem plausible to expect a sudden meteoric rise of Lacrosse coverage in mainstream media. Symptom: existing professional lacrosse organizations struggling to find profitability, not to mention closing franchises (San Francisco/Los Angeles) that had the greatest likelihood of expanding the reach of the league. I’m a big fan of this game, but no longer will I go to sporting events and thinking “man, wouldn’t it be cool if this was a lacrosse game right now?”. It’s just not healthy.

1+1 = 2. Change the equation

When it comes to individuals, I’ve seen lots of interesting and innovative thinking around expanding the visibility and reach of lacrosse. I have no doubt that the tools are there, but like I’ve said before, the brute force effort of many individuals will keep lacrosse on it’s snails pace march towards mainstream adoption. Something needs to happen, something dramatic, something new. In the current era of overnight success startups and web-services with 1000% YOY growth, I can’t help but hope and dream. At some point, we need to come together so 1+1 equals 3. Someone please talk me down from this ledge.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/dose-of-realism-will-lacrosse-ever-become-mainstream/feed/2Lacrosse Revolution: The Power of ONEhttp://laxallstars.com/lacrosse-revolution-the-power-of-one/
http://laxallstars.com/lacrosse-revolution-the-power-of-one/#commentsFri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:52 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/lacrosse-revolution-the-power-of-one/I live and die by the Power of 3... 3 powerpoint slides, 3 bullets, 3 main points, 3 business implications. I learned this early in my young career, have stuck by it and it's served me well. But in the hyper fast-paced world of the social web, where websites and realtime updates and RSS feeds compete for your attention, I'm beginning to realize that 3 can be too much...
]]>I live and die by the Power of 3… 3 powerpoint slides, 3 bullets, 3 main points, 3 business implications. I learned this early in my young career, have stuck by it and it’s served me well. But in the hyper fast-paced world of the social web, where websites and realtime updates and RSS feeds compete for your attention, I’m beginning to realize that 3 can be too much…

What’s the one thing your idea / service / product / website does better than everything else? What drives the most traffic and interest? What are you the most passionate about exploring? Here at LAS – it’s all about Lacrosse. Some of our most traffic’d articles are thought pieces on the game, it’s growth, it’s trials and tribulations. LAS isn’t trying to be a sports hub. It’s a lacrosse hub that’s staffed by passionate Lacrosse players. Lacrosse writing is our ONE thing.

In the product world, some of the more successful and interesting gadgets live and die by the power of one. Look no further than the Flip video camcorder. It has a button, a screen and a USB connector. They just got bought by Cisco, because they want to reap the benefit of their one thing. In the web world, Twitter and Pandora come to mind. No need to discusshow well those two services are doing right now.

Then there is Myspace, who has been putting more emphasis on the one thing they do well. Clinging to memories past hasn’t served them well in the present.

The reason I write this today, is because I’ve been inspired by the Lacrosse community that I’ve been able to connect with these past few months being involved with LAS. I’m surrounded by bright people with innovative, big ideas on their minds. I expect big things to happen within this community that will change the way we consume and participate with the game. I’ll be open and tell you how I want to help. I want to connect casual fans to the game unobtrusively, so they don’t have to take time out of their busy day to do it.

There are many ways I can do this… some complicated, some basic. But the more ideas I think to integrate, the more time it will take, the more confusing it might be, and the burden once again transfers to the user (us!). Knowing this, my mandate to all of you big thinkers out there is this: What’s the ONE thing you will do to grow awareness, help the casual fan, connect existing players in NEW ways? What is the one thing your most passionate about? What is your big idea? What is your Power of ONE?

It should NOT be this difficult to know when games are on TV... I just happened to see this come across Google Reader randomly in the Home feed, which I never look at. In an ideal world, we would have gotten an e-mail update on this. Another example of how hard it is to be a fan.

]]>(AP photo)In case you missed it, the “instant classic” between Virginia and Maryland is replaying on Tuesday night (3/31) for those of us who missed it. (ME included!)

It should NOT be this difficult to know when games are on TV… I just happened to see this come across Google Reader randomly in the Home feed, which I never look at. In an ideal world, we would have gotten an e-mail update on this. Another example of how hard it is to be a fan.

Here is a game re-cap from The New York Times:

The longest game in college lacrosse history ended in the seventh overtime when Virginia Coach Dom Starsia ran out of things to say. The No. 1 Cavs outlasted No. 9 Maryland on a goal by Brian Carroll in the first minute of the seventh overtime to give them a 10-9 victory. Starsia said that it was the first time in the overtimes that a coach had not called a timeout after taking the ball in their offensive end. Starsia told the offensive coordinator Marc Van Arsdale not to bother calling a timeout right before the goal.

“Let them play,” Starsia said. “There’s nothing more we can say to these guys.” Moments later, Carroll ended the game with a transition goal.“It was pretty exhausting,” Starsia said in a telephone interview Saturday night.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/programming-note-watch-the-7ot-uva-maryland-instant-classic-on-espnu-830-est-tuesday-night/feed/2Why Twitter and Facebook Give Me Hopehttp://laxallstars.com/why-twitter-and-facebook-give-me-hope/
http://laxallstars.com/why-twitter-and-facebook-give-me-hope/#commentsFri, 06 Mar 2009 20:30:00 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/why-twitter-and-facebook-give-me-hope/As a lacrosse fan, this year has been different for me. I’m not paying any more attention to the MCLA or NCAA than I normally do. In fact, I think I’ve Google’d “NCAA lacrosse TV schedule” only once or twice in the last few months. (Honestly, I don’t know why I try, Comcast doesn’t get ESPNU.) But the truth is I feel more connected to this sport than I’ve been in quite some time.
]]>As a lacrosse fan, this year has been different for me. I’m not paying any more attention to the MCLA or NCAA than I normally do. In fact, I think I’ve Google’d “NCAA lacrosse TV schedule” only once or twice in the last few months. (Honestly, I don’t know why I try, Comcast doesn’t get ESPNU.) But the truth is I feel more connected to this sport than I’ve been in quite some time.

This get’s me excited… because if I’m feeling more connected (my tech-savviness is after-all bordering on a disorder) than the rest of the lacrosse community can’t be too far behind.

The main reason I’m feeling more connected is because of all the MCLA lax news that’s being shared by CollegeLax.us on their twitter feed. I signed up to get SMS updates of their feed, and I’m more connected to the game, with the least amount of effort that I’ve ever been. All I do is sit around, sip my coffee and find out ASU won’t be playing the Utes this year.

I have this dream that I’m able to get score by score updates for all the games I care about when I want them… not just the games a Twitter using Lacrosse fan happens to be at. Here’s a crazy idea – what if all stat keepers were required to tweet scoring updates? What if every university was required to have a twitter account to share updates?

Of course, these requirements and information sharing would be all fine and dandy…But the biggest problem with twitter is it’s tiny user base; somewhere around 5-6 million users. Compared to Facebook (which has more than 175 million active users worldwide) it’s tough to imagine that Twitter will be the all-mighty solution to lacrosse’s growth problem. Could Facebook be that solution?

If you haven’t heard, Facebook is once again re-designing it’s home page. Here’s a good synopsis of the changes from Mashable. The new “Pages” feature will bring with it a very Twitter-like feel now that any brand/organization can post status updates that will show up in your real time “stream”. You’ll even be able to create groups and filter your “stream” to bring to the front information you want to see, whether it’s your core group of friends, your co-workers, your favorite blogs or your favorite lacrosse teams.

I get asked all the time at the office “what’s next?” for Social Networking. After Myspace and Facebook, what’s the next big thing going to be? I always tell people that it probably won’t be another network. Very simply its Aggregation, Integration and Filtration.

Aggregation means no more silo’d experiences. Instead, everything will be in one or two places; think a much more refined FriendFeed.

Integration means services will enhance the current experience on your social network of choice, but won’t make you create a new network of “friends”.

Lastly and somewhat tied to the first point, Filtration of social data is really the next frontier. We are all bombarded with social data these days and Filtration allows us to easily extract the value we’re seeking when and where we need it.

It seems to me that Facebook is meeting that future head on with their new changes. I’m mostly just glad this won’t become a FriendFeed like firehose of information…. Even Twitter is beginning to feel that way for me.

What Facebook has done is allow brands/organizations to become much more active and personified… much like they currently are on Twitter. As Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook shared yesterday, the changes really bring to life what it means to be a “Friend” (two-way, reciprocal friendship) vs. a “Fan” (one way, very similar to “following” on twitter).

So what does this mean for lacrosse? Immediately, CollegeLax.us will be accessible through Facebook to the vast majority of its own player and alumni (cus seriously, who doesn’t have a Facebook profile these days?). However on Twitter, only a small and very tech-savvy subset of its players/alumni/fans are present. I don’t think Facebook will ever be able to replicate the immediacy benefit I get from Twitter and SMS updates, but CollegeLax could very, very easily drive traffic from Facebook to their Twitter profile in order to bring that benefit to many.

All in all, I see the Facebook re-design creating a synergistic relationship with Twitter, not simply becoming a Twitter clone as some have mentioned. I imagine the combination of Facebook and Twitter making it much easier for fans like myself to stay involved with and aware of the MCLA. The solution is out there, but the network of players/alumni hasn’t been there to drive major growth. The pieces are starting to fall in place my friends… Things are going to change, I can feel it, and it get’s me really excited.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/why-twitter-and-facebook-give-me-hope/feed/3TomorrowLand Lacrosse…. Let’s Ideate.http://laxallstars.com/tomorrowland-lacrosse-lets-ideate/
http://laxallstars.com/tomorrowland-lacrosse-lets-ideate/#commentsSun, 01 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/tomorrowland-lacrosse-lets-ideate/I was powering through my Google Reader feeds a few days ago when I stumbled across this great TechCrunch article. It's funny to think that Disney's imagineers of yesterday at some point sat in a room and said to eachother, "you know, I bet that in 50 years your food will come in pill form" and then, "Let's build an entire area of Disneyland based on our crazy ideas!!"
]]>I was powering through my Google Reader feeds a few days ago when I stumbled across this great TechCrunch article. It’s funny to think that Disney’s imagineers of yesterday at some point sat in a room and said to eachother, “you know, I bet that in 50 years your food will come in pill form” and then, “Let’s build an entire area of Disneyland based on our crazy ideas!!”

Setting aside how out-of-control ridiculous some of their predictions were, I really like the concept of long-outlook ideation. This kind of thinking is completely free from any discussion of technical feasibility or business impact… engineers and developers always rain on my crazy idea parades. When a topic expert is discussing this long-outlook, it can be crazy interesting. Disney Imagineers may not have been the best to share their views of 50 years in the future, but big Appliance manufacturers, Consumer Electronic companies, Auto-Makers must have their theories. I would LOVE to hear what those people have to say about where we are going. If you’ve been on Hulu recently (if you haven’t you need help), you might notice they are running this “Honda: Power of Dreams” advertising… take the time to watch the videos, they are actually really interesting. The Honda employees interviewed share their thoughts on the the future or automobiles in 50 years. And no, it’s not all flying cars and sky-ways.

Anyway, I started thinking about lacrosse this way and it became a pretty fun excercise. What is lacrosse going to be like in 50 years? In 2059, when I’m 77 years old, what will the games I “watch” on “tv” be like? How will it be different to be a fan? How will it be different to referee, or coach the games? Man, I’m having some crazy thoughts right now — get this. Some aren’t entirely lacrosse related – but they are in the context of the game.

Crazy Idea #1

In 2059, Nike will standardize new uniforms/pads that essentially “detect” the location and sensitivity of a stick check and automagically and immediately transfers that information about that check to both teams and the “referee”. This innovation allows games to have some level of automated officiating, allows coaches/players to further understand their own game and improve accuracy. (yes, i know, this is freaking out there and raises tons of other issues. Shut up. I’m ideating)

Crazy Idea #2

In 2059, all Lacrosse games will be broadcast live in 3D. Proximity sensors will be so good, and cameras will be everywhere, capture EVERY ANGLE with unbelievable detail. (HHDTV – better resolution than the real world:) ). At home, you will have 100% control over the camera angle that you’re watching the game in. As well as your own Instant Replay, from the angle that YOU want to see it from. The ubiquity of cameras will allow you to seamlessly move between camera shots, the camera switching will be entirely hidden to the user. If you’ve played Halo 3 and used the Theater to replay games, this is more or less what I’m imagining. It’s like having a little flying camera that you can control.

This video is not only cool, but gives you an idea of what I’m thinking.

Crazy Idea #3

In 2059, ALL teams will have access to data and information that has never been possible before. Utilizing technologies like RFID chips, GPS, proximity sensors, the “stats-keeper” won’t be a person, it will be a computer. Not only will every player have an RFID chip in their gear, but their stick, the ball, everything will be “trackable” on the field. What this means is that the statkeeper will know if the ball is down or in the air, who is nearby it, if someone picks it up, if someone throws it out of bounds etc. All the stats, and many stats that haven’t been captured before will be automagically gathered and shared. Teams will have access to all this information, and can use it for detailed statistical analysis to understand how individual factors (passes, time of posession, turnovers) impact the outcome of the game. Without getting TOO geeky here (I am a researcher) I can imagine some very powerful statistical tools that teams/players could use to truly change their impact on the field.

So there you go, Lacrosse in the land of tomorrow. You’ll notice i didn’t share my thoughts on how the fans will be effected.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/tomorrowland-lacrosse-lets-ideate/feed/3New Kid on The Block – Nike’s Entrance and What It Means To The Other Guyshttp://laxallstars.com/new-kid-on-the-block-%e2%80%93-nikes-entrance-and-what-it-means-to-the-other-guys/
http://laxallstars.com/new-kid-on-the-block-%e2%80%93-nikes-entrance-and-what-it-means-to-the-other-guys/#commentsFri, 20 Feb 2009 20:00:00 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/new-kid-on-the-block-%e2%80%93-nikes-entrance-and-what-it-means-to-the-other-guys/

Dollar signs. Are Brine, STX and Warrior making them? I don't have a glimpse into their books in the current economic environment, but my gut feeling says no. Dealing with a classic "new kid on the block" scenario probably doesn't help. Especially since the new kid is big and was the star quarterback at the other school.

]]>

Dollar signs. Are Brine, STX and Warrior making them? I don’t have a glimpse into their books in the current economic environment, but my gut feeling says no. Dealing with a classic “new kid on the block” scenario probably doesn’t help. Especially since the new kid is big and was the star quarterback at the other school.

Why would Nike enter a lacrosse market whose biggest brands aren’t making any money? Brine and STX have been involved for a long while, building loyalty, releasing better, sleeker products each year. But their growth is dependent on the growth of the game, and that is why they will eventually fail. Nike’s growth is completely independent of the growth of lacrosse. The weight Nike throws around will be too.

Heavyweights

I think it’s important to put some perspective to the kind of weight I’m talking about. Without breaking a sweat, Nike Lacrosse could get distribution in EVERY major and minor sports retailer in the country. They could out market, out advertise, out research + develop, out quality, out SPARQ and straight up out perform any of the other brands in this space. Brine, STX and Warrior execs must be trembling in their boots at this sleeping giant.

Nike’s biggest impact on the game won’t be a direct result of the inevitable bucketloads of money they throw at the game. It will come from the one thing that I would lose sleep about if I was working at Brine. Their brand awareness.

Nike is one of the most respected and aspirational brands on the PLANET. They share honors along with Apple, Sony and Coca-Cola in terms of awareness, respect, and straight up LOVE. Love is crucial for a brand in this day and age. Just ask Kevin Roberts. I definitely don’t believe that brand awareness alone is enough to spell success, at least not for every sport. But Nike is coming into the equation at a crucial moment when the sport is young, and the youth ranks are growing at a high rate.

Share of Voice

At 14, when I started playing lacrosse, I had a choice of two brands. Brine and STX. I had no prior knowledge of either brand, so I went with the lower priced brand at the time.

Fast Forward 13 years. Some other 14 year old is starting the game. They have choices too, but this is what the shelf looks like: Brine, STX, Warrior, Reebok, Nike, Adidas, Maverick, Gait and more. I don’t think you have to be a genius or marketer to know which they gravitate towards. Think about it this way. When your shopping for HDTVs, Dynatec and Insignia aren’t exactly in your top consideration set are they?

It’s no surprise to me that Nike hasn’t yet leveraged their bank accounts and exploded onto the lacrosse scene with a major presence. Fact of the matter is, they already have one. Nike is banking on their existing brand awareness to drive the success of their (admittedly expensive) products. With minimum spend in equipment development cost, marketing and awareness building, they can bank on their existing retail distribution and team sponsorships to immediately get into the consideration set of new lacrosse players. With minimal effort, Nike will be alongside Brine/STX/Warrior in stores with limited shelf space. That’s scary for those old gents.

However, within the potential success of Nike lies opportunity for Brine/STX/Warrior. One thing Nike doesn’t want to do is dilute their brand identity. They will never go low cost. I believe this for the same reason I’ve predicted there will be no iPhone Nano. Like Apple, Nike’s philosophy is that they want to be the best at what they do, build the best product. There is no room to introduce mediocre products with that kind of a philosophy.

There is a huge market (especially right now with the economy in the shape it’s in) for the low end. Given our previous discussions on the high-entry cost for the game of lacrosse, Brine and the other companies have a huge opportunity to build loyalty with new lacrosse players on the low-end. Although 14 year olds will be attracted to Nike gear, the reality is that they most likely won’t go there right away. Brine can’t compete with Nike’s aspirational brand identity, but it can hope to build loyalty early in a lacrosse player’s career.

Minimal Investment, Maximum Benefit

So we’ve concluded that Nike has brand presence, they have opportunity and they have loyalty. We need to remember that like the innovation I see changing the game of lacrosse, it won’t be because someone spends more or spends faster. The Brine/STX/and Warriors of the world simply can’t compete with Nike’s existing loyalty and brand identity regardless of either parties’ financial commitment to the game. This is why I predict that in 5 years, Nike will be the largest lacrosse equipment supplier in the country

Feel free to take my predictions with a grain of salt. They are based purely on conjecture and caffeine (which is stimulant behind my best thinking). Lord knows I want Brine and STX and Warrior to see success. But regardless of my brand loyalty, my truest loyalty remains in one place.

With the game of lacrosse. That means I want Nike everywhere, and once they start seeing the ROI, they will invest more. More money = more fans; but you know that whole story.

]]>http://laxallstars.com/new-kid-on-the-block-%e2%80%93-nikes-entrance-and-what-it-means-to-the-other-guys/feed/6Why Passion Isn’t Enough To Grow The Gamehttp://laxallstars.com/why-passion-isnt-enough-to-grow-the-game/
http://laxallstars.com/why-passion-isnt-enough-to-grow-the-game/#commentsFri, 13 Feb 2009 19:00:00 +0000http://lax.lacrosseallstars.com/why-passion-isnt-enough-to-grow-the-game/Editor's note: It's Friday morning, & we've got just the thing for you. Please welcome Joenandez to LacrosseAllStars, joining the team as our friday columnist. He'll be digging beneath the surface of the sport and sharing his valuable perspectives on how we can spur its growth. This first post sets the tempo for a ton of great Friday morning insights coming your way. Check it out.
]]>Editor’s note: It’s Friday morning, & we’ve got just the thing for you. Please welcome Joenandez to LacrosseAllStars, joining the team as our friday columnist. He’ll be digging beneath the surface of the sport and sharing his valuable perspectives on how we can spur its growth. This first post sets the tempo for a ton of great Friday morning insights coming your way. Check it out.

Why Passion Isn’t Enough.

Lacrosse has no shortage of passionate people. Players, their parents, coaches, referees, league administrators, athletic directors, club presidents, etc, etc. They all sacrifice their time and their finances to support and grow the sport. Much of the significant growth we’ve seen in the Lacrosse Community is due to the hard work and dedication of former players and parents of players. Thanks to them, Lacrosse is getting more and more mainstream media attention. Look no further than Nike/Adidas/Reebok’s entry into the equipment world to see that lacrosse is growing. We’ve grown despite the fact that the sacrifice of passionate people has not translated into the dollar signs that fuel REAL growth.

We’ve yet to reach the tipping point. You know, the day that we see lacrosse on TNT or as a regular segment of Sportscenter. Where the MLL is broadcast on NBC on the weekends and the stadiums for regular season games are PACKED (leaving out the Denver Outlaws).

Could it be because passion is simply not enough to grow this game? What we need is a disruptive innovation that brings fans closer to the game in a unique way. More fans = more money. More money = more talent. More talent = more sponsors, etc, etc. Passion doesn’t necessarily lead to innovation, but innovation can lead to more passion.

Sex Appeal, We’ve Got It!

I don’t think there is any doubt that the sport itself would be successful in the mainstream. No sport is faster paced. No sport has the mix of big hits, highlight reel action, storylines, strategy and sex-appeal. Yes, sex appeal. I don’t know about you, but i think we lax players have some of the sexiest looking gear of all major sports. Similarly, and at the risk of sounding like an Us Weekly article, we have some major heartthrobs. Basketball players? Too tall. Baseball Players? Too juiced. Football players? Too big. Hockey players. OMG. Don’t get me started. Our athletes are lean, built and incredibly handsome if I do say so myself.

But why, might I ask, is lacrosse still consider a “niche” sport? Why do I get blank stares when I tell people I play lacrosse? The signs of growth are there; it’s market-able, big brands are coming on board, but has lacrosse reached the tipping point? I don’t think so. Ironically, for this country’s oldest sport, Lacrosse is still very young. What we need is a disruptive innovation to send us on an exponential rise towards popularity.

The Rabbit Hole

But this innovation isn’t going to come on the lacrosse field. Like I said, we’ve got the sexy gear. Offset/pinched heads, titanium shafts and Cascade helmets changed the game, and they are already established. I don’t think this inevitable disruptive innovation will be for the players. It won’t be for coaches, referees, league administrators and that is what makes it disruptive. This innovation will create and cater to a new market of “consumers”.

It will be for the fans. Lacrosse is unique in that the majority of fans are former players or friends/family of players. Most other sports have different sources of fans. We don’t.

How will this innovation in fan-dom come to be? It’s going to come from an entrepreneur who recognizes that there is an absolute treasure trove of unmet needs, pain points and frustrations that Lacrosse fans must deal with. As a former player and now casual fan of lacrosse, I can tell you that my interest in staying up to date with NCAA and MCLA is far out-weighed by the amount of work I have to put into keeping up with it.

Look no further than the MCLA forums for the proof. Hundreds of people stalk the Live Game Updates forum refreshing and refreshing the page to get the latest updates from some forum-jockey who is getting score by score updates from a friend two states away at the game. WHAT??? Why is this happening?

Fans Don’t Know What They Can’t Tell You

In my day-job I’m a Product Development Researcher for a wireless company. It’s my job to uncover the unmet needs and pain points of our wireless customers so that Prod Dev can create compelling solutions. I get giddy just thinking about the universe of unmet needs as large and deep as the one I see among lacrosse fans.

Unfortunately, the unmet needs/pain-points persist, and so many potential lacrosse fans slowly fall away from the sport while the pain-points outweigh the benefits of keeping up-to-date. What this creates is a community of HARDCORE lacrosse fans, and nothing more. Because for the most passionate of fans, the benefit of keeping up to date with the sport far outweighs the amount of difficulty they go through to do so.

This innovation will come to serve a new market of “consumers”. Those people like me, former players, casual lacrosse fans. We need to make it easier to be a fan, stay a fan. It needs to be easier to get and remain engaged with a community of other casual lacrosse fans. The engagement is key, and this is where many a Casual Lacrosse fan falls off the boat. There are a series of trade-offs that are made, and my many other interests outweigh my interest in remaining engaged with ALL the lacrosse websites/news sources online.

Whatever this solution is, it has to be simple, it has to be accessible, it has to be social and I really believe it will be unbelievably successful.

For all you entrepreneurs, investors, developers and social web enthusiasts out there, start thinking of solutions. Unmet needs don’t stay unmet for long.